Every time I’ve waited before buying something — apparel, in particular — things have turned around for the better.
When I was 15 or 16, the kids at my school shopped at Old Navy, Aeropostale, American Eagle, and all the other stores at the mall. Charlotte Russe. Gap. Other stores that have since closed.
The Walmart clearance section and the clearance bins at these stores — that was a precursor to fast fashion. We would buy all sorts of clearance clothes that we didn’t need. Shirts that we didn’t wear outside of the house. Shirts that said Baby Girl Surf League.
Or Big Dawg Lil Pup Pound Town Party. Which would probably go over well in certain circles, now that I think about it. I need the guy who messed with the Sara Lee social media accounts to get on this. I have a new idea for your next basement rave, honey.
It was hard not to be at the forefront of whatever trends were going on — but now, in my late twenties, I’m glad that I haven’t bought tons and tons of clothes that I never wear. I find myself being disappointed by (and sometimes disgusted by) overconsumption and waste in the fashion industry.
Any time I’ve thought about ordering something online — fast fashion, specifically — I remind myself that, five years from now, I’m going to remember two words: Abercrombie and Fitch.
I shudder to think of all of the polos lining landfills. Some of them, I’m sure, still have the collars popped.
Jamais Mayville 